Ewart Duggan House
443 1st Street SE, Medicine Hat
The heritage value of the Ewart Duggan Residence lies in its association with some of the earliest and most prominent citizens of Medicine Hat and in its excellent and very rare early example of Victorian residential masonry construction. In 1887, Harry Clinton Yuill built the Ewart-Duggan Residence for Medicine Hat pioneer and influential local businessman John Ewart and his wife, Jessie Herald using bricks produced locally by the McCord brickyard. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Ewart, their daughter Jacqueline and her husband Hector O. Duggan resided in the home. Like previous residents of the home, the Duggans were significant figures in the community; in addition to trading in real estate and handling investments for international clients, Hector was also a member of a powerful family that included D. M. Duggan, Mayor of Edmonton, and J. J. Duggan, well-known Edmonton entrepreneur and realtor. The home has thus been connected with three of Medicine Hat's most important families and provides a vital historical link to the founding and development of the city.
This magnificent house stands on Medicine Hat’s historic First Street and is acknowledged as the oldest brick residence in Alberta still on its original foundation built with locally-produced bricks. Overlooking the South Saskatchewan River, this classic two-storey Victorian design remained the Ewart Duggan family home until 1987.
The Province of Alberta designated the house a Provincial Historic Site in 1993, preserving it for future generations to enjoy. In 2002, the house was donated by I-XL Brick Industries to the City of Medicine Hat under the stewardship of the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre.
Source: Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre